The invention relates to an apparatus for continuous treatment of materials, whether or not under a pressure which differs considerably from the atmospheric pressure, comprising a closed treatment zone connected with a gas-tight supply device for materials and a gas-tight discharge device for materials, a conveyor within the treatment zone for conveying materials and at least one conveyor for treatment medium debouching into the treatment zone.
Such an installation for treating vegetable products is known per se.
This known installation presents the drawback that, in case of continuous sterilization of, for instance, animal flour the time during which the material stays in the apparatus is rather long, due to the fact that the animal flour to be sterilized sticks together rather compactly, so that a contact between the treating medium and the material to be sterilized is hampered, in consequence of which operations to be carried out are very time-consuming. Moreover, in some cases, the sterilization results are unsatisfactory.
When a known apparatus is used for continuous removal of vaporizable fluids from said materials, the drying process or the removal of valuable substances in the materials to be treated, which substances should be recovered during the operation, do not suffice either.